His phenomenal memory

Georgia Woodard

As assistant to the secretary of the Board of Trustees, Indiana University — a glorified (?) secretarial position — in the 1950s, I had almost daily contact during working hours with Herman Wells. I had a great admiration, respect and affection for him, of course, but one outstanding characteristic that I will always remember was his phenomenal memory.

Those of us in the administration building who worked with him always knew that, if he had ever seen a letter, a report, whatever, we had better know what we had done with it, for he might, even years later, ask if it might have some application to whatever matter he was currently considering. I am sure this ability contributed to his outstanding career.

I am also sure that those of us who were students at Indiana University in the 1940s will recall with pleasure his friendly smile and greeting when he met one of us on campus, which happened frequently.